Young rooster chasing hens

[Rharp]

My chickens are almost 14 weeks and the rooster is trying to mount one of the hens and shes fighting and making an awful sound and the rooster is chasing her around. Is this because they’re young or do I need to get rid of him? I don’t want a rooster that’s gonna chase around and bully the hens.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

It's because cockerels (he won't be a rooster till his first birthday) reach sexual maturity a few weeks before the pullets (the girls won't be "hens" till THEIR first birthday). He has one thing on his young mind. You can separate him for a few weeks till the girls start to lay eggs. Or, if you don't need a rooster, try finding him a new home. Easier said than done. Lots of people send their not-needed cockerels to "freezer camp" until they need him for a nice soup. Do you need a male? Not really, unless you plan to hatch eggs.

 

[berlyannpotter]

I love my roo, but he hasn't started trying to mount. We are in the process of building a second coop to ensure that my rooster has plenty of space. He did start chasing our smallest pullets. One even lost a few feathers. Now, I put him outside the coop during the day so he doesn't get annoyed. At night, I put my youngest 4 in the garage until everyone matures and can have that additional space.

 

[KS_Chicken_Wrangler]

My chickens are almost 14 weeks and the rooster is trying to mount one of the hens and shes fighting and making an awful sound and the rooster is chasing her around. Is this because they’re young or do I need to get rid of him? I don’t want a rooster that’s gonna chase around and bully the hens.

Oh man. I'm in the same boat. I kind of freaked out with my first batch...until I figured out what was going on. Now my second batch is 31 in total and 29 are pullets. The two boys are just figuring things out and most of the girls aren't having it, so it gets a little noisy and looks like a fight rather than what it is. They'll figure it out.

That said, I'm to the point of creating a bachelor pad for my guys. Anyone have thoughts on integrating an older roo with two cockerels?

 

[KS_Chicken_Wrangler]

I love my roo, but he hasn't started trying to mount. We are in the process of building a second coop to ensure that my rooster has plenty of space. He did start chasing our smallest pullets. One even lost a few feathers. Now, I put him outside the coop during the day so he doesn't get annoyed. At night, I put my youngest 4 in the garage until everyone matures and can have that additional space.

It is kind of annoying because the first move, before the chasing, has been the cockerels just grabbing neck feathers and not knowing what to do next. Now they've got it figured out at my place and the EE comes running and knocks the RIR off his "perch." LOL

 

[MKetter]

It's because cockerels (he won't be a rooster till his first birthday) reach sexual maturity a few weeks before the pullets (the girls won't be "hens" till THEIR first birthday). He has one thing on his young mind. You can separate him for a few weeks till the girls start to lay eggs. Or, if you don't need a rooster, try finding him a new home. Easier said than done. Lots of people send their not-needed cockerels to "freezer camp" until they need him for a nice soup. Do you need a male? Not really, unless you plan to hatch eggs.

This was the exact question I logged on to ask. They are all 14 weeks old (six female, one male), and “Stu the Roo” (a Wyandotte) began chasing the Black Star today with what seemed like obvious intentions. I told him, “y’all are too young for that!” How old are roosters when they start mating?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

How old are roosters when they start mating?

Your 14-week old cockerels will start mating any time now, if they can get any females to hold still long enough.

 

[KS_Chicken_Wrangler]

This was the exact question I logged on to ask. They are all 14 weeks old (six female, one male), and “Stu the Roo” (a Wyandotte) began chasing the Black Star today with what seemed like obvious intentions. I told him, “y’all are too young for that!” How old are roosters when they start mating?

Looks like Stu is ready at 14 weeks! LOL

Kind of like people, I suppose...each in their own time. I'm also starting to wonder if the cockerels are attracted to the pullets who are closest to laying. It worked that way in each of my two batches; Eddie took off after Cheese (who was first to lay) and my nameless EE cockerel (who looks almost identical to Eddie, which is weird) was hot after one of my two Arctic Blue Eggers (EE+CL) and she was the first to start laying.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Looks like Stu is ready at 14 weeks! LOL

Kind of like people, I suppose...each in their own time. I'm also starting to wonder if the cockerels are attracted to the pullets who are closest to laying. It worked that way in each of my two batches; Eddie took off after Cheese (who was first to lay) and my nameless EE cockerel (who looks almost identical to Eddie, which is weird) was hot after one of my two Arctic Blue Eggers (EE+CL) and she was the first to start laying.

Interesting. Did these two precocious pullets have reddening combs or other visible signs of puberty?

 

[KS_Chicken_Wrangler]

Interesting. Did these two precocious pullets have reddening combs or other visible signs of puberty?

Really good question. I don't recall, if I'm being honest. All my current pullets are going on 5 months old at present, but the two ABEs were definitely the first two targets...and the first two to lay.